Maryland Natural Resources Police News

Emergency responders on Wednesday battled a blaze that engulfed multiple vessels in the Anchorage Marina, on the Patapsco River in Baltimore.A good Samaritan alerted U.S. Coast Guard Sector Maryland-National Capital Region watchstanders to the fire at approximately 9 a.m. and reported that he heard a popping noise and saw two 55-foot boats engulfed in flames.Baltimore City Fire Department said its units arrived on location to find heavy fire and smoke conditions coming from multiple vessels docked at the marina.

More than 44 pounds of cocaine was seized from a Marshall Islands-flagged bull carrier anchored in the Chesapeake Bay near Annapolis, Md., on Wednesday.The drugs were discovered during an early morning examination by officers and agents from the DEA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Coast Guard, and Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police aboard the 958-foot Samjohn Solidarity. The 20 bricks of cocaine found concealed inside the vessel’s anchor locker has a street value of more than $1 million.No arrests were made…

Four people were rescued from frigid waters off Annapolis, Maryland, on Sunday after more than a dozen sailboats capsized during a race held in rough, windy weather, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The Severn Sailing Association reported that 22 people had fallen into the water off 15 small sailboats during a race on Sunday afternoon, the Coast Guard said in a statement. Rescue teams from the Coast Guard's Maryland-National Capital Region, the Maryland State Police, Anne Arundel County Fire Rescue and Maryland Natural Resources Police all responded. A Coast Guard crew based in Annapolis rescued four people from the frigid seas. "The water temperature in the Chesapeake Bay today was 42 degrees…

The Mariner Group informs that it augmented the security efforts of Maryland's Natural Resources Police and other federal, state and local agencies for Baltimore's recent Star-Spangled Spectacular and Sailabration. Mariner provided CommandBridge situation awareness support to the Incident Command Center at Coast Guard Sector Baltimore. The CommandBridge displays and on-site staff helped maintain safety and security during several high-profile maritime events, including a Parade of Ships into Baltimore Harbor and the Navy's Blue Angels air show performances. "The Maryland Natural Resources Police partnered with CommandBridge to create a command and control system for managing emergencies and significant planned events," said Col. George Johnson, superintendent of the Maryland NRP.

Kelvin Hughes, a global supplier of surveillance and navigation systems, announced that it has recently supplied two SharpEye Solid State X Band surveillance radars to the Maryland Natural Resources Police (MPRP), to provide additional coverage around protected oyster beds. The SharpEye  radars are key sensors in the MNRP Maritime Law Enforcement Information Network (MLEIN), whose mission is to secure the 3,100 miles of Maryland coastline. The system was launched in the autumn of 2013, with the first detection of illegal activity taking place shortly after.

Most people who encounter the Coast Guard near shore will get a good look at a Response Boat-Small (RB-S). With more than 400 boats in operation, the RB-S is the largest vessel class in the Coast Guard’s fleet. The boats are in constant use, from life-saving to law enforcement and homeland security missions. But the redoubtable RB-S is approaching the end of its service life and the the Coast Guard’s Acquisition Directorate has launched an ambitious project to replace this important asset. The RB-S II will be one of the largest boat buys of its kind.

The Coast Guard concluded two days of meetings today with local, state and federal officials as part of its ongoing review to help evaluate the suitability of the Chesapeake Bay for importing Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) aboard tankships. The Coast Guard Captain of the Port (COTP) Baltimore received a letter of intent to resume LNG import operations from the Williams Company at its Cove Point facility in Calvert County, Md., last October. If approved, LNG import operations will involve moving LNG in tankships on the middle and lower Chesapeake Bay to Cove Point where the cargo will be handled and off-loaded at the company’s waterside facility. Under federal regulation (33 CFR Part 127.009), the COTP is required to evaluate the suitability of the Bay for conducting LNG operations.

The cargo ship Montrose began its trip to safe anchorage in the Chesapeake Bay. Divers will conduct an underwater inspection after its arrival 12 miles south of where it ran aground. The divers will look for any damage under the ship. The 712-foot Liberian flagged ship was carrying 74,215 metric tons of coal when it ran aground Feb. 28 near Sharps Island, Md. Multiple tug boats working together were unable to free the Montrose from being stuck and a Unified Command determined coal needed to be offloaded to re-float the ship. Crews working for the Unified Command met their goal of transferring approximately 7,100 metric tons of coal to a barge alongside at about 10 p.m. Tuesday. Their operations were suspended Monday evening due to inclement weather and resumed Tuesday afternoon.

Operations are underway in an effort to re-float the 712-ft. Liberian flagged cargo ship Montrose currently aground in the Chesapeake Bay, west of the Choptank River. Crews under the direction of the Unified Command began the process known as lightering Sunday afternoon at approximately 3 p.m. Since then, approximately 4,800 tons of coal have been transferred from the ship to an attached barge. If weather permits, crews on-scene anticipate having the coal of the Montrose transferred to nearby barges. When the coal transfer evolution is complete, a process known as de-ballasting will begin. De-ballasting is the removal of water that was used to keep the ship stable during the lightering process. Attempts to re-float the Montrose are scheduled to begin on Tuesday, weather permitting.

The Coast Guard, Baltimore City Marine Police, and the Maryland Natural Resources Police are currently searching the waters of the Patpasco River in the vicinity of the Ferry Bar Channel for signs of a person in the water, after a 30-foot vessel was found floating adrift with no one aboard. The tug boat Cape Romain, initially spotted the vessel this morning and notified the Coast Guard. An initial search of the vessel was conducted and Coast Guard personnel found personal items and fresh paint on the vessel windows. In addition, a small diesel flue leak was evident. A 41-foot utility boat from Coast Guard Station Curtis Bay towed the derelict vessel to the Fairfield Auto Terminal to free any potential hazard to navigation.